Thursday 14 April 2011 14.37 EDT
First published on Thursday 14 April 2011 14.37 EDT

When Phil Mustard was denied a 100th consecutive County Championship appearance by a troublesome toe, Durham were able to call on a high-pedigree replacement to face Yorkshire. Alas, Michael Richardson is not a young Geordie but the 24-year-old son of the former South Africa wicketkeeper Dave, who completed his education at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire when his father was based at Lord's in his role as cricket director of the International Cricket Council.

He joined Durham from the MCC Young Cricketers last summer but had to wait for this Championship debut; he seized the opportunity with relish. He came in during a collapse to 134 for six after an opening stand of 106, but counter-attacked with a 55-ball half-century that included three fours behind square on the off-side in one Adil Rashid over.

Liam Plunkett and Callum Thorp frustrated Yorkshire further on a gloomy, chilly evening with a ninth-wicket partnership of 94 and Durham ended on 326 for nine after Graham Onions survived a searching examination from Ryan Sidebottom on his first appearance since January 2010 – 16 months of injury misery do not seem to have eroded his capacity to hold up an end.

Sidebottom's Headingley return after rejoining Yorkshire during the winter had promised to be more productive when he took the key wickets of Dale Benkenstein and Ian Blackwell in the space of three overs after lunch, when the ball was swinging. Benkenstein, who resumed the Durham captaincy from Mustard, looked thoroughly unimpressed to be adjudged lbw for a duck, and Blackwell wafted unconvincingly. The left-armer also had Scott Borthwick caught behind but Richard Pyrah shaded him as the pick of the attack, making the crucial double breakthrough of Michael Di Venuto – for a typically fluent 74 – and Gordon Muchall in the space of three balls late in the morning session, and returning to have Richardson edging to second slip.

Matthew Hoggard did not score a single run of the first 70 in a last-wicket stand of 96 with Claude Henderson that rescued Leicestershire from 134 for nine. They finished on 230 all out and then reduced Derbyshire to 101 for four.

Reece Topley, a 17-year-old left-arm seamer, took his second five-wicket haul in twoChampionship matches for Essex, this time against Middlesex at Lord's. The home team were all out for 277, .